19-year-old forced into early retirement due to head trauma
All good things come to an end eventually, this is fairly common knowledge. However, for one 19-year-old defenseman, having his career cut short at such a young age is a tough pill to swallow.
Lane Hinkley has played 3 seasons in the QMJHL, split between the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Drummondville Voltigeurs and Charlottetown Islanders. Now, just 4 games into his 4th QMJHL season, his hockey career is over before ever reaching the pro level. The reason? Repeated head trauma.
Hinkley has been in 14 fights over parts of 4 QMJHL seasons. The young defenseman played a very physical brand of hockey. Unfortunately, it has caught up to him very young. Hinkley explained why he has opted for retirement on Monday.
"Too many hits, too many punches, too many concussions that I didn't properly heal from. The doctor said my MRI showed there is a 25mm by 17mm lesion on my brain Currently, I am at risk for CTE and early dementia."
TSN investigative reporter Rick Westhead had the following to say regarding repeated head trauma following Hinkley's retirement announcement:
"Researchers have found the more hits to the head a player receives — even subconcussive ones, which aren't usually tracked — the more likely they are to develop neurological problems."
This is obviously a very unfortunate outcome for such a young player. However, it's commendable that Hinkley has the maturity at such a young age to understand the gravity of the situation and has acknowledged the potential long-term effects of trying to push through.
All the best to Hinkley in whatever comes next. Hopefully he'll be able to continue his hockey career somewhere in an off-ice capacity - if that's what he wants to do, of course.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 31 | 157 ANSWERS 19-year-old forced into early retirement due to head trauma Should leagues be doing more to protect players from traumatic brain injuries? | ||
| Yes, definitely | 95 | 60.5 % |
| No, it's on the player to protect himself | 26 | 16.6 % |
| This is such a tough subject to speak about | 36 | 22.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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